JOSCAR-AU, one questionnaire many buyers share.

What it is

JOSCAR-AU is a shared compliance questionnaire for defence, aerospace and security suppliers. You fill it in once, and every buyer in the community can see it, instead of each one sending you its own.

It's run by Hellios, a supplier information company, from a team in Brisbane. Hellios announced the Australian launch in 2024, modelled on JOSCAR in the United Kingdom.

Who uses it in Australia

Hellios lists 18 buyers in the JOSCAR-AU community, and the Department of Defence is one of them. The rest are Amentum, ASC, Austal, Babcock Australasia, BAE Systems Australia, Boeing Australia, Hanwha Defence Australia, H&B Defence, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Kongsberg, Lockheed Martin Australia, Moog, Northrop Grumman, QinetiQ, Raytheon Australia, Saab and Supacat.

The buyers decide what the questionnaire asks, tailored to Australian reporting requirements.

How you join

Most suppliers are invited by a customer. You can also nominate yourself to join the Australian community without an invitation.

There are up to three stages. Stage 1 covers the basics about your organisation and its compliance, and it's free for every supplier.

Some suppliers are then asked to complete Stage 2, a more detailed assessment. A fee may apply depending on the size of your company, and Hellios tells you what it is when you're invited.

Stage 3 is by invitation only.

What it asks for

You answer the questions and upload your evidence, such as a certificate of insurance or a health and safety policy. Some of that evidence is mandatory.

You're never asked for pricing or commercial information.

Hellios's validation team checks every questionnaire against guidelines the buyers set, and may come back to you with questions. Once it's validated, the buyers can see it and you get a registered certificate.

Keeping it current

Registration lasts 12 months from your first submission, so you renew it every year. Hellios sends a reminder six weeks before it runs out.

Miss the renewal and your information is removed, so buyers can no longer see your profile. You'd have to go through the whole process again.

Who sees your answers

Your information stays yours. Only the buyers in the community can see it, each under a confidentiality agreement, and other suppliers can't.

Hellios's general FAQ says supplier information is stored in certified data centres in the United Kingdom.